Job Search Tips for Graduates!

March 8, 2007

BOSTON, MA - Graduates of the class of 2007, beware. “Even in good markets like this one, recent grads tend to underestimate the time, energy, and commitment it takes to land that coveted position”, states Paul Tanklefsky, Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education at Suffolk University in Boston.

“Finding a job – any old job – is a no brainer,” states Tanklefsky, a 25-year career veteran. “But securing a position that’s a career booster -- offering challenge, opportunity, and experience in your field of interest – is something you have to fight for.”

To aid in the job search campaign, Tanklefsky offers his Top 10 Job Search Tips for 2007:

10. Commit to a career niche for the job search and the next 18-24 months – Keeping all your options open as you approach the job market makes it difficult for employers to know what you want and can land you somewhere that you really don’t want to be. Focus on an area of interest and run with it.

9. Land a job the old-fashioned way…by meeting people – Don’t become an internet shut-in conducting your job search exclusively through electronic email transmissions. Getting out and meeting people under any auspices – for advice, informational purposes, referrals – heightens your visibility and gets you interviews faster.

8. Develop two resumes – A focused resume (with an objective) targeting your primary interest area and a generic one (without an objective) that you can use for a variety of situations.

7. Join the professional/trade association of choice – Professional associations (i.e., Boston chapter of the Public Relations Society of America or the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants) offer a host of benefits: opportunities to mingle and meet with working professionals through seminars and social gatherings, job postings, and the most up-to-date info on industries. Take advantage and get active.

6. Get an Extreme Makeover -- Transition from college senior to young professional by thinking, looking, and acting the part. Review and if necessary, edit your Facebook or My Space pages, cell phone message, and email address, so that they appear employer-appropriate.

5. Guys, ask for help. Gals, strut your stuff -- Guys have learned to operate like lone cowboys riding solo, but for the job search, reaching out and asking for assistance is a vital part of the process. Gals sometimes undersell their credentials; the job search necessitates articulating and promoting their key strengths, skills, and experiences.

4. Tap your college alumni – Your alma mater is a fertile source of potential contacts and referrals – alumni working in your field, faculty with connections to industry, and administrators with institutional memories – ready and willing to be of assistance if you are willing to “make the ask. “

3. Take care of yourself – While investing considerable time and energy searching for a job, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. It’s healthy and necessary to exercise, stay involved in your hobbies, eat well, and get plenty of sleep.

2. Consider short-term alternatives – That full-time position with benefits and medical coverage is the ideal, but the other options – part-time work, freelancing, interning – are sound options if they give you experience in your field, enhance your portfolio, and make you more competitive for the next job.

1. Persist – Start thinking marathon not 100 yard dash. Usually it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears – a 3-5 month search – to land that coveted job. Being steadfast about your goal and fighting through a series on “no’s” until you get to “yes” is the key to a successful search.

The Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education at Suffolk University assists students and alumni of the liberal arts and business school in defining and realizing their career goals, as well as meeting the needs of the employment community. Located at 20 Ashburton Place in downtown Boston, the office offers many services including career advising and counseling, cooperative education and internship opportunities, full-time employment resources, and more. For more information about the Top 10 Job Search Tips, please call Paul Tanklefsky at 617.573.8480 or e-mail him at ptanklef@suffolk.edu. Learn more about Career Services and Cooperative Education at www.suffolk.edu/careers.